Comfort and Trust
by ravenroses
Summary: Robin feels awful listening to Zatanna cry about her father. He just wants to help but isn't sure what to do.


He could hear her crying through the door. Even down the hallway in his own room he could hear her. The sound of it didn't irritate him in any way; it just pained him to know she was suffering like that. He had had the choice of going back to Wayne Manor for the night but he was needed at the cave. He couldn't bring himself to leave her behind there. The others were not able to understand her pain the way he could. The others hadn't lost parents like either of them.

Granted, he couldn't relate to her on this level. Being the cause of someone's supposed death was another thing entirely.

Robin shifted on the bed. His toes were grazing the floor while his hands gripped the edge of the bed tightly. The fact that he had even thought such a terrible thing bothered him. He pushed it back and reminded himself not to say anything about it to her.

When he moved off the bed, he noticed that his feet were the only things making sound. The crying stopped as far as he could tell. That or she had quieted down. Now was his chance.

As stealthy as he was, Robin's legs felt shaky. He managed to make it to the hall without falling but had to put a hand against the wall out there. He dragged it along the surface until he was across from her room. Then he pushed off and crossed the small distance. He placed his knuckle softly against the door, not knocking, but anticipating the motion and the sound. His heart sped up slightly but he quickly calmed it down. He had faced strange creatures, aliens and other villains without much fear but trying to comfort a girl he cared for scared him a lot.

"Hey Rob. How's it going, man?" the familiar voice made Robin jerk away from the door. He placed the hand that was on the door behind his head.

"Hey Wally," his red headed friend was munching on a large bag of potato chips. "I was heading to the kitchen actually. Got kind of hungry and wanted something," he pointed at the bag, "Care to share some of those?"

Wally shook the bag and peeked inside to assess how many were left. When he was satisfied, he tilted the open end toward his friend. Robin reached in to grab a handful. He stuck a few into his mouth and crunched down. The greasy food was not something he wanted at the moment. In fact, it made him feel worse.

"What are you going to do now?" the speedster asked. Robin couldn't tell if he was prying or clueless.

Robin shook his head, "Nothing. I, uh, have nothing to do." He glanced over at her door knowing Wally couldn't see his eyes behind the dark frames. If he had noticed anything about Robin being in front of her door, Wally said nothing. He knew better than to bring it up before Robin was ready.

He managed to get Wally away from her room. The two continued down the hall, trying to figure out something they could do. It gave Robin a little more time to think of something, anything to say to her while being only mildly distracted. For now, he didn't want their conversation to bother her. They had probably disturbed her enough as it was and he knew he could always go back later.

As the two voices traveled down the hall, Zatanna moved away from her door. She had been ready to open it for him and was glad she waited for his signal. If she had opened it up to surprise him, she would have had an unexpected visit from Wally too. As sweet as he was, she couldn't handle any of his upbeat personality at the moment trying to cheer her up.

She moved over to the desk in her room and picked up a framed photo of her and her father. Zatanna was surprised the tears hadn't sprang to her eyes upon looking at the image. She figured she had cried them all already. She put the fame down with a heavy sigh. She was too tired from all the crying but sleep would not come to her. She had tried many times already.

For now, she sat in the desk chair and stared at the picture a little longer.

There was a sharp, quick knock on his door. Robin rolled over and looked at the digital clock's red numbers. It was 3:18 AM. He groaned slightly as he pushed himself up and out of bed.

As he made his way to the door, he grabbed the pair of sunglasses off the nightstand and slipped them on. They helped to dim the lights from the hall as he slid open the door. He did, however, step back when he recognized Zatanna standing in the hall, one arm wrapped tightly around her while the other was raised hesitantly in a fist, as if she debated knocking again or leaving.

"Sorry to bother you," she said softly without looking at him directly.

"Don't be," Robin stepped aside, "Please come in."

"Thanks," she nervously pushed some hair behind her ear before entering.

He moved across the room and flicked on the lamp near his bed. The light came to life and the room was filled with it. He gestured to the bed for her to sit before he had second thoughts about it. The bed was a mess. He reached out and straightened the blankets back up to make it look semi-made. When it looked less disheveled, he sat down himself, hoping that was enough of an invite for her to join him.

"It's funny," she said, still not looking at him.

"What is?"

"I half expected you to answer the door without your glasses on."

Robin chuckled lightly, "One of the first things Batman taught me was to never give away my identity. The glasses became habit."

"You don't sleep in them, do you?" Zatanna finally looked at him. He could see her eyes were bloodshot and puffy. He almost felt guilty keeping his glasses on. It would only be fair to show her his eyes when she felt vulnerable enough. But he could not bring himself to break that rule.

"No, actually, I don't." He smiled at her and the two teens laughed softly.

Zatanna rubbed her hands over her arms as if she were cold. "I shouldn't have bothered you so late," she finally said.

Robin sat up straighter, "No, please. Stay. I don't mind at all."

At that, Zatanna finally sat down across from him. She tucked one leg up under her and held onto the ankle with both hands. She bit her lower lip and avoided eye contact again.

He thought of reaching out to her, to try to urge her into talking. He wanted to hug her and tell her it would all be okay in the end but feared that might scare her off. He just wanted her to know he was there for her in any way he could help.

"I, um, I didn't know where else to go," she said. He left it to her; if she had more to say, the floor was open to her. He didn't want to press and into not opening up more than she was ready for. He also couldn't think of anything to say. She finally looked up at him though, tears lining her eyes, "I feel guilty. I'm scared. He could be such a pain but he was still my father."

Robin nodded, agreeing to that last bit. He couldn't remember his parents too much but he knew how Bruce could be at times.

He kept his gaze down. He had nothing to say. The words all felt or sounded wrong in his head. He watched her hands wring back and forth on her ankle. Robin reached out and placed a hand on top of one of hers. He gripped it lightly. It was his way of telling her that he didn't blame her; he understood her fear. Most of all, it told her that he would always be there to help.

That little bit of acknowledgement helped. Zatanna felt the warmth from his touch and couldn't hold it in anymore. Those tears that were threatening to fall spilled up and over. They washed down her cheeks and she choked back sobs to keep her voice down. He took a tighter hold of her hand and pulled her closer to him. He may have been smaller than her but he was strong enough to make her feel safe.

Zatanna sat there and cried in Robin's arms for another hour until she fell asleep in his arms. He gently lay back, never letting her go. He let her rest on his shoulder. He kept his arms tightly around her to keep her warm and to make her feel protected. The only time he moved was the turn out the light and to lay his sunglasses on the nightstand. He would hide his face from her again when they awoke, but for now he wanted her to feel at ease and to know she could trust him like he trusted her.


End file.
